Dholera airport awaits 'in principle' nod from MOCA

Gujarat government is awaiting the "in principle" approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) for the proposed Dholera International Airport near Ahmedabad, which would provide enhanced air connectivity in the state.
Dholera International Airport Company Ltd (DIACL), a special purpose vehicle set up by the Gujarat government in 2010, is developing the project.
"We have applied for 'in principle' approval for the airport from the Ministry of Civil Aviation," DIACL's General Manager Amit Chavda told PTI.
Last year, the Union government had given the site approval for the construction of the greenfield airport at Dholera.
Chavda said that apart from site clearance for the project, approval has been received from the Defence Ministry.

According to him, the project is at a nascent stage and would take about six years to be completed.

"The main purpose of the airport is to provide air connectivity to Dholera SEZ (Special Economic Zone). The government expects traffic to grow once the SEZ is completed," he noted.
He said that an environment impact study for the project is going on while environmental clearances are expected by end of this year.
As much as 1,426 hectare of land has been acquired so far for the airport project, which would be developed through PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode.